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World Music Showcase #6

Okay okay, I know that a while back I whined about the cheesiness of Filipino music, and I totally stick by my story. Bryan Adams and Michael Bolton are kings here, and Kenny G’s not far behind.

But I have been able to find a few bands that break out of the sentimental Filipino shell, and manage to combine upbeat rock with those two qualities so elusive and rare here: sarcasm and irony.

I am proud to present, for your listening and viewing pleasure, one of the funniest bands in the Philippines:

PAROKYA NI EDGAR

I love this band because they have my sense of humor. Most Filipinos don’t. Example:

A while back, we were at a restaurant, and when we sat down, the waitress handed us these enormous cardboard placards for menus. Julien, in his typical style, said, “Wow, do you have a bigger menu?” And waitress, truly apologetic, said, “No, I’m sorry sir, we don’t,” and then ran off to notify her supervisor that some customers were not pleased with the size of the menu.

Anyway…

I find most of their songs hilarious, even the ones I don’t understand. By far our favorite, regularly sung at top volume in our van during rush hour, is “Alone With You.” There’s no video, per se, but the lyrics will suffice, trust me. Whenever I hear that song, I think of Eric. And “Track No. 1” is also incredibly amusing and worth a listen. I like the rhythm of “Akala”, and even though I don’t understand the words, I think I get it anyways. I can totally relate. And their video for “Halaga” and its clever play on boy-band choreography absolutely cracks me up.